Obi-Wanma

Unless you are checking in at one of the 4 theater chains that allow e-ticketing via MoviePass, then you can check in from home, but you still must do it the same calendar day.

If you're not at one of those chains, but you're close enough to the theater that you don't mind making two trips, you could always buy your evening tickets at the box office earlier in the day.

Troy Stiffler

Haha. I didn't think of that one. I'm guessing the cell phone scan was accepted, even though they were a day early. And the ticket taker didn't notice.

TomOpus

My AMC has many screens that are not reserve seating. But I have used MoviePass to buy a reserved seat at my AMC (it was not 3D or IMAX or Dolby Cinema but it was Prime).

Is your AMC nothing but reserved seating?

Abob Teff

Similar to Mike86 here ... only AMC theaters in town (three of them). They bought up GKC or Kerasotas (I forget which one) and have put minimal work into already rundown theaters. That said, one of them was built new several years ago but is far from the “showcase” theater they claim it to be.

They are WAY overpriced for a city this size and they run their theaters poorly, but they are the only game in town. This year they threw in an air-quote-IMAX-air-quote because one of the most popular “wants” in Springfield is a modern movie theater with an IMAX. AMC tossed this in as cheap as they could to try to take away a potential competitive advantage from any new company coming in.

I go to the local theaters maybe two or three times a year if it is a last minute, on a whim visit (i.e., escaping work or home since I have a free moment). Otherwise I would rather drive 30 miles to Lincoln for an independent theater or an hour to go to the IMAX in Bloomington. Or I plan seeing movies while I am out of town.

tanman

Reserve seating is a double edge sword. Yes it's nice in theory to pick and know where you are going to sit ahead of time but in order to do that you still have to get to the theater earlier to get a good seat or you have to pay fandango or some other stupid secondary service a service charge for the privilege of using their online service to buy them ahead of time. It's like stupid ticketmaster fees all over again. Plus since I have Movie Pass now I can't buy tickets ahead of time online anyways. I always thought I would like reserve seating but now I think I'd rather have the old way back again.

Brack

If you’re a member of the theater chain like AMC, you can have the Fandango service charge waived by using your membership card. It’s good for movies where I know well ahead of time if I want to see a particular movie. I reserved my seat for The Last Jedi weeks ago because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t see it until the next day or two and I’m working the weekend it comes out, so the Thursday night showings are ideal, as I really want to avoid being spoiled.

jpcamb

the AMC near me has been 100% reserved seating for a few years now. They updated it with the newer reclining seats and at that point all the screens went to reserved seating...

Osiris3657

Man, you bring up MoviePass any chance you get...you're obsessed

It's going to be like watching a junkie go through withdrawals once they go under or go back to their previous prices.

TomOpus

If I don't mention why their pricing structure is no longer an issue, someone might ask.

But my apologies. I won't mention (it) outside the

fumanstan

Reminds me of... Chmiel I think it was that would bring up Movie Pass every time he got that chance when the service first came out

Trevor

It's hard for me not to mention MP because it so dramatically has changed my movie theater experience, and I want to make sure everyone has it. On topic to this thread, I guess it has/will reduce my frequency of movie theater complaints. For ~$1 a film I can't complain much, even about Regal's piss poor theaters. Oops...

whotony

There is two I know of.
Penn Cinema

One of them is in Wilmington Del the other is in a suburb of Philly.

Only one counter for snacks and tickets inside the lobby.

skywalker8

I generally like AMC, although I had some bad experiences recently. Over the weekend I went to the “flagship” AMC in Times Square, where I have seen many many movies over the years. But boy has that place gone to hell.
My wife and I saw two movies. In both auditoriums, our seats did not have all their armrests. We were baffled when we noticed this in the first movie, and sitting down for the second it was a big WTF moment.
Also during our visit:
-saw a tampon on the floor in front of the men’s room
-a guy was washing his hair in the men’s room
-homeless people wandering in and out
-a couple carrying in bags of food and enjoying a noisy, smelly 4-course meal during the movie
-and of course, people talking, using cell phones, etc.
Anyone missing the “good old New York City” should head to the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square in the cold of winter or the heat of summer for a good blast from the past.

Obi-Wanma

My theaters don't have snacks and tickets at the same counter, but only one theater in my area puts their ticket sellers behind glass. Ticket counter at the front of the lobby, concession counter at the back. Something like this:

skywalker8

Also, what’s up with the AMC Stubs express lines? Often it’s quicker to just use the regular line. And sometimes I use the Stubs line and I’m ignored, or someone in the regular line gets mad that I get to go before them.

Eric F

You think going there to see a movie sucks? Try working there.

jjcool

Used?

Isn't this anywhere in NYC that has a lobby with bathrooms and is climate controlled?

Isn't this any regular theater nowadays? I can't remember the last time I saw a movie and I didn't have to deal with the overpowering smells of some outside food brought into the theater. Last time it was a big bucket of KFC. People sat in the back row under the air vent which pushed the smell all throughout the auditorium.

fumanstan

In Irvine and the surrounding areas where i'm at, just about all the theaters I can think of (mostly Regal and AMC) have the ticket booths outside behind the glass, and then a separate entrance to walk in to the lobby of the theater.

This is the AMC in Irvine/Tustin that I go to occasionally -



Ticket booth and automated machines to the right, then main entrance to the left of that. Even in Sacramento where I visit occasionally is set up similar (Cinemark/Century). The theaters around me that do have ticket booths inside are fancy theaters where I'd just buy tickets online anyway (Cinepolis, Arclight).

Abob Teff

Skywalker8 — were the armrests just in the “up” position? I’ve started to notice more and more places where you can flip the armrest out of the way for ... snuggling?

whotony

The theater were I worked a few years ago, we were nstructed to lift all the arm rests after each movie.
Didn't always happen but it did most of the time.

whotony

This is the concession/ticket purchasing area at Penn Cinema Riverfront in Wilmington De.

I worked there for 6 months. Opened the place and was best job I ever had.

Loved it.
All theaters should be as good as this. I wonder how it is to work for an Alamo Draft House.

skywalker8

Nope, they were completely removed.

skywalker8

Thankfully, no. Or not as far as I was able to tell.

Not really. A lot of fast food restaurants and public spaces, and subways, but the AMC Times Square is the theater that has it the worst. There’s a Regal directly across the street from it and that one doesn’t have it anywhere near as bad. Probably because they don’t have the kind of AM/matinee pricing that AMC has that brings in the homeless for the day. That theater also checks bags.

Ash Ketchum

Wait a second, you can buy your ticket and concessions at the same place? I've never seen or heard of that before.

Doesn't that create longer lines as people buy tickets and then mull over what garbage they want to take to their seats to eat? What if you just want to get to your theater and every cashier is occupied with getting people their snack orders? Sounds like a terrible idea, unless I'm missing something.

jjcool

So they are buying a ticket and staying all day and not just wandering in and sitting all day?